but you could find it interesting!
From It's a Rum Life...Book
One “In the Beginning” 1947 to 1960
BASIC
ECONOMICS
Back in Harrogate in 1950 I had to travel on the
bus to school, in fact two buses; changing at the main bus station in the
centre of the town.
Pocket money was always short as it came from my
father who I seldom saw.
He did ensure though that I always received the
“Eagle” comic by post every week, right from the very first issue, the
highlight of my life!
I soon learned that if I was quick enough at the
bus station I could catch a different bus from town to school.
Normally all the local buses were run by the West
Yorkshire company but just on one route between Harrogate and Bradford the
"Ledgard's" company ran double deckers; the route which passed my school.
I could save a half penny on each journey if I
could catch the "Ledgard's" bus. It left the station about two minutes ahead of
the West Yorkshire, destined for Leeds.
"Ledgard's" were based in Bradford and all their buses
were very basic with wooden seats and no upholstery at all. This brought me to
think ‘there must be a reason for this; perhaps folk in Bradford were not used
to the comfort of upholstered seats?’
I had only been to Bradford once with my mother
when she worked for a charity as a fund raiser and had an office in Bradford.
My recollections of the city in the late 1940’s were one of smoke and grime but
that office on Great Horton Road gave me my very first introduction to Boy
Scouts. I had found a cast off book with no covers, discarded in a dusty corner
of the office. I read it avidly and cherished it for years.
This was a very early copy of “Scouting for Boys”.
ONE HALF PENNY A DAY
One half penny every day was my target. One I never
managed to achieve as frequently my first West Yorkshire bus from Skipton Road
arrived as the "Ledgard's" was just leaving. I always tried though and ran
desperately the whole uphill length of the Bus Station in the hope that
"Ledgard's" bus was late leaving. These early disappointments with my budgeting as
a six year old helped me get over even bigger problems in the future!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
